Digging for Gold
by KitkatTenshi
Summary: Spin on Chapter 71.5 'Watch Out for that Guy'. Natsu deals with some feelings he's been having while waiting for Lucy at a tree. OneShot!


Natsu frowned as he slammed the shovel into the ground again, coming up with little result. Dammit, where was Lucy?

He wanted nothing better than to pummel the ground until he reached his goal- that accursed box full of embarrassing pictures of the guild. He had heard about it from Mirajane, and he KNEW she still had pictures of that incident at the Christmas Party last year.

Stupid mistletoe.

Stupid Mirajane with her camera.

Stupid Levy for tricking him that if he waited under the mistletoe, your deepest wish might be fulfilled.

Stupid Gray for not noticing it until it was too late.

Stupid traditions.

Natsu's mind snapped back to the mission at hand. He had to be careful. He would simply ask Lucy to use Virgo to dig a hole to the chest, and when the chest was discovered, make sure that she didn't see THAT picture. He fought the urge to throw up his dinner. It was just like trains… and all other manner of vehicles. If she had that picture, she could get him to do anything.

His stomach protested, and he groaned. That was the last time he was thinking about vehicles.

He hacked at the ground. He didn't exactly understand why he found it absolutely necessary to keep it a secret from Lucy, but something made him agitated the more he thought about it. He shook it off. It was just embarrassment, that's all it was. Embarrassment that Lucy saw the picture and got the wrong idea.

He slammed a hand to his forehead. She could formulate whatever ideas she wanted! He wasn't going to stop her!

But he was sure as hell not going to let her see that photo. Which is why he had left Happy at home so he wouldn't spill the beans.

A figure appeared in the darkness, and he caught the scent of a sugary citrus smell, and he stood up, waving. "Hey Lucy!"

Lucy practically shrieked her response back, much to his surprise and confusion. She knew he was here, what was with her surprise? "Hi!"

As she got closer, Natsu couldn't help but notice her outfit. She was all dressed up, and in the moonlight, he noticed how her hair shone, catching it in a radiant way.

He shook his head. The hell was he thinking? This was Lucy! His partner!

But the way she looked… She looked so breathtakingly beautiful he almost wanted to push her up against the tree and kiss her senseless, but he cleared his head, getting back to the task at hand.

Lucy seemed surprised when he asked her to bring out Virgo, and when he explained his mission about the 'treasure' buried underneath their feet, she looked confused. Subconsciously, she shifted her body, causing her breasts to push up just a bit more, and he found himself staring at them. "But all the guys… They were going on and on about some girl you had a crush on and how much you wanted to see her…"

Natsu froze slightly. Shit, maybe he shouldn't have said anything to Gray… He was getting teased by everyone just because he mentioned that he thought Lucy with her hair down was cute.

He played it off like it was nothing though. "I dunno about liking her or anything but they must have been talking about Virgo."

For a minute, Lucy did nothing, and Natsu let out a small relieved sigh that she had bought it.

He never even saw the hand coming until it hit.

Natsu couldn't move, the surprise evident on his startled features as Lucy dashed off, and he watched her go, a million emotions rushing through him.

He was hurt that she slapped him, but his chest felt like it was constricting as she ran away, and all he wanted to was chase after that citrus smell and tackle it.

Some part of him told him this was his dragon instincts, but the rest of him wondered why his dragon instincts were so attracted to Lucy. He did care about her a lot, and he feel horrible when she cried, whether or not it was because of him.

Something Mirajane said to him popped into his head.

"_I hear there's someone in the guild you like Natsu!" The resident matchmaker said cheerfully, handing him a plate of flaming food._

_Natsu looked up at her, mouth half-full, confusion on his face. Mirajane, however, was lost in her little world. "Oh, love. One of the greatest treasures, and Natsu gets to experience it firsthand!" She whirled on him, grinning. "Who's the lucky girl?"_

_Natsu spluttered. "Mirajane-"_

_Mirajane's eyes widened, and she clapped a hand over her mouth. "It's Lucy, isn't it?"_

_Natsu felt his heartbeat pick up for absolutely no reason at the blonde's name. "No!" He said a little hurriedly, and Mirajane simply smiled._

"_Oh Natsu. Be careful about what you dig up, because once you know what true treasure is, you can't go back and undo what you know." Her grin spread across her face. "Just like those photos of you and Gray under the mistletoe."_

"_MIRAJANE!"_

Natsu watched as Lucy disappeared from sight, and he raised a hand and laid it on his chest. Was this what Mirajane was talking about?

Because if it was, he never wanted to go back.


End file.
